Sunday, March 30, 2008

I took Friday the 28th off to clean the house before my in-laws from England arrived on Saturday the 29th. I turned on the jukebox, chose a bunch of songs, cranked it loud, and went to town on the dust and dirt. When I was done, the house gleamed. Also hoovered and mopped the new wood floor for the first time, and it came up a treat.

The in-laws arrived early Sat evening, tired from the long trip, but in good spirits. Since the Son is away at college, and the Daughter was spending the night with a friend, it was just us'ns and them'ns. It's been very nice and low key.

Today's weather is more like what they left behind in jolly olde England, chilly, wet, and rainy, than the nice Oklahoma weather they were hoping for. Not to worry, the weather around here changes at the drop of a low-pressure system, so they'll get their sunshine before they head home.

On the knitting front: nice progress has been made on both stoles, Wings of a Dream for the Daughter, and Twinings for me. I have begun the main body pattern that will go up to the armpits on Cobblestone Pullover for the Son. I owe you all pictures.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Ending: basic cuff down sock with added cables and my first time to try a short row heel. Wonderful springy colorway from Fearless Fibers in Superwash Sock, Merino Wool, Wildflower colorway. Thank you Deb for a gorgeous shade of purple!

And Shazaamm! Cable closeup!

Beginning: the yarn for my son's Cobblestone Pullover came in the mail today. Kris from Sonny and Shear got me the perfect dark blue for him in Midnight Derby, one of Dream in Color's new 400 Series colors. Here it is swimming in it's wee little swatch bath. Look close - I think it's doing the backstroke.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

the Cinnabar Pullover. It fits perfectly, and received many raves from the folks at work. The bottom band hits just at hip height, and the collar placket stands out away from my neck, almost like a boatneck.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Not only did Hubby and I lay new wood flooring in our daughter's room over the weekend, but I perhaps even more importantly also finished the pullover. I also found a set of lovely buttons, 24K gold plated to boot. It fits wonderfully, drapes beautifully, and is warm without causing me to overheat. Pics to be forthcoming!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The sleeves are in the homestretch, just one more increase to accomplish before the cap shaping takes place. Yay! Still haven't been looking for buttons, though. Maybe this weekend I'll get to pick some out.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Our second story comprises of a landing, the kids rooms, and their shared bathroom. It also has the most god-awful carpet, which we've wanted to change out for the longest time. This past week or so, we made the start, and tonight finished the landing floor. We choose Darlington in Light Oak. When we have saved enough, we'll take this into each of the kid's rooms (pulling up their horrid carpet), and then redo their bathroom. We're talking about a long term project here.

(See how the stairs are all messed up and look like a giant leopard has been gnawing on them? It's the result of our little five pound kitty, who refuses to be trained NOT to sharpen her claws on the rough cedar wood. When we replace the staircase with light oak wood, we're hoping that the smooth surface of it will be unappealing to her and she'll leave it alone. If she doesn't, we'll have to look into getting claw sheaths put on, and she'll have to be an indoor kitty. And yes, she ignores the scratching post slathered with catnip and goes straight to the stairs. Grrr.)

Back to the project. It's a snap and lock system of planks, and boy, does it go in nicely. Hubby did a lot of research online before choosing this kind of flooring, and learned as much as he could about the tricks and tips on how to lay it. He's pretty nifty like that.

This is the real color of the floor.

This is redder that it really appears.

We put in white baseboards, as well. We love how it makes the floor color "pop".

New tv stand, surprise on sale at Walmart.

Old tv stand, now fullfilling its destiny as the computer center. This nasty chair will be replaced soon. Very soon, I hope.

There's the parakeet, Whitey, in the corner; she's about 11-12 years old and shows no signs of falling off her perch in the near future. She's registered her approval of the new flooring by molting on it and kicking out old seed husks. Yay. And that's the yarn stash in the three wicker basket thingy. Each basket is chockerblock full of yarn. I just wish that I had the time to knit it all up. *sad face*

And finally, one of our coolest bits of home improvement that doesn't cost an arm and a leg:

This used to be a plain dark colored interior door. Then, presto change-o! Using the mad skills we're gleaning from the HGTV channel (addicted to those shows), we (and by we, I mean Hubby**), did arcane measurement magic on the doors, took everyday cheap moulding, mitered the edges and created the panelled look on a flat door. Apply wood glue and a nail gun, judicious caulking and priming/painting, and you have a lovely door for a fraction of the price of a new replacement door. The other two doors off the landing are getting the same treatment.

** I must say that while Hubby does do all the power tool work, and is the brains behind our projects, I am indispensible to him as his chief "holder of this", "go getter of that", and "does that look level/straight to you?" gal, and am fully involved with all aspects of any of our redecorations. Thank you.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Finally, I have managed to get a few pics of the progress on Cinnabar Pullover, my latest knitting love. The color is pretty close in this pic, so that makes me smile. I blocked the front and back, to make it easier to get an idea of the sizing. Perfecto!! It's been sewn at the shoulder seams, with the front lying on top of the back in this pic.

I'm lovin' the placket thing that's going on. I don't have the buttons picked out yet, in fact, I have no idea what kind of buttons I want. They need to be smallish, though.